IRISH WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE ALL STARS V WALES SELECT WOMEN’S TEAM Co-Captains Lindsay Peat and Niamh Dwyer start for the Irish Premier League All Stars along with Aoife McDermott, Rachel Clancy and Grainne Dwyer. Meanwhile Amelia Reynolds, Victoria Gottwald, Laura Shanahan, Megan Jenkins and Melanie Curson face them for Wales. Aoife McDermott takes the first score for the game after a fast break lead by Lindsay Peat however Melaine Curson for Wales answered quickly with her own jumper. Grainne Dwyer proved to be the spark of energy for Ireland Premier League All Stars with a 3 point play and attacking the offensive glass however Peat picks up two quick fouls and Claire Rockall enters the game with under six minutes left. Turnovers and fast break lay ups extended the lead for the Premier League All Stars while Head Coach James Weldon was able to rotate his bench and get Cathy Kavanagh, Sarah Woods, Lorraine Scully, Amy Waters and Louise Galvin in. Denni Pedley finishes the quarter for both teams with a pair of free throws, 27-8 to the Irish Premier League All Stars. Waters continues a similar trait at the start of the second with an aggressive cut to the basket. She is fouled by Gottwald but makes both from the free throw line. Shanahan answered back for Wales Select with a contested three to reduce the lead to 17 however excellent movement off the ball allowed Ash Sullivan to knock down the open jump shot. Intensity on defence for the home team gifted fast break layups for Clancy and Rockall. Ireland pushed the lead out 42-15 with over 3.30 left on the clock. Curson again settles the Welsh side with another big three but Grainne Dwyer continues to rally her troops as she battles on both ends of the court. At the end of the first half, Ireland Premier League All Stars lead 48-20. Peat gets the Irish Premier League All Stars off the mark as McDermott finds her cutting inside the lane for the opening score of the third quarter. McDermott again with another assist as she finds Clancy nestled in the corner for a long deuce. Curson again shows her depth as she drains another three under great pressure by the home side. The Irish Premier League All Stars continue to push the ball up the court at every stage available and Galvin, McDermott and Kavanagh finish their layups, they lead 65-24 with 2 minutes left in the third. The Irish Premier League All Stars continue their defensive intensity to start the final quarter as they hold the Wales Select to a 24 second violation. Both sides traded baskets with Amy Waters tip toeing through the lane whilst Amelia Reynolds returned the favour on the next possession. Curson showed her soft touch inside the three point line as Jenkins found her with a lob pass and Curson to finish with the reverse layup. Head Coach Weldon calls a time out with 4.20 left in the game with the intention of pushing out their 50 point lead, 79-29. Both sides played to the final whistle and never let up as the Ireland Premier League All Stars opened up the Gathering 2013 event with its first win of the day. The final score was 90-34 in favour of the Irish Premier League Women’s All Stars with a great team effort from all players on both ends of the court. Most Valuable Player (MVP) Claire Rockall described the matchup as “a really fast paced and up tempo game. It was brilliant to be able to play with the best players in the country together on one team. James (Weldon) focus was from the start and the first whistle. He really wanted us to get out on the fast break and get the early layups in the first quarter. We did that and just kept pushing on from there. Overall it was a great experience to be a part of, a great event and I’m really looking forward to seeing more of these in the future. I want to thank everyone involved to make it happen including the coaching staff – James, Jodi and Igor – along with the girls!”
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:30:28 +0000
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